1. Field of Invention
This invention relates to animal restraints, and more particularly, to an animal restraint apparatus conveniently convertible for use as either a leash or tether.
2. Description of Related Art
Taking a pet, such as a dog, for a walk is a popular pastime. In urban settings, the movement of the pet is typically controlled by using a leash. It has been found to be particularly convenient to use a hand-held leash assembly having the leash wound on an inner spool or reel, since this allows the pet owner to provide a variable-length leash. Thus, when the pet moves away from the pet owner, an additional length of leash is paid out from the hand-held leash assembly, effectively providing a longer leash, whereas when the pet moves toward the pet owner, the hand-held leash assembly takes up slack in the leash, effectively providing a shorter leash. Hand-held leash assemblies may be equipped with a “stop” button which, when pressed, can temporarily prevent further extension of the leash from the hand-held leash assembly. The stop button allows the pet owner to temporarily stop the pet if the pet begins to wander into danger, for example, into traffic.
After the pet has been taken for a walk, or even during the walk, it may be desirable to tether the pet to a fixed location, for example, in the middle of a field or yard. The process of tethering the pet typically involves two steps: detaching the pet from the hand-held leash assembly, and attaching the pet to a tether, which may be a rope or chain attached to a fixed object such as a tree. This two-step process may not be easy with a large, and powerful pet. Moreover, tethering a pet can create its own set of problems. Often, pets get tangled up with their leash when they are tethered. For example, a dog may continue to move around the tree to which it is tethered in a single direction until it is tangled. In addition, because the tethering leash is not kept taut, it drags on the ground and gets dirty and may even get damaged. In any event, a fixed object, such as a tree, may not be available for use as a tether point in some locations.
To address the above problems, several devices have been provided for converting a hand-held retractable leash assembly into a tether. In one type of device, a hand-held retractable leash assembly is placed and locked into a standard-size locking box, which is itself permanently pivotally-mounted on a post operable to be secured to the ground at a fixed location. However, hand-held leash assemblies on the market come in many sizes and shapes and there is no guarantee that any given leash assembly will fit such a standard-size locking box. Furthermore, it appears that in some cases, if a leash assembly does not have a snug fit within the locking box, the leash assembly may be thrown around inside the box when the pet engages in sudden movement, which could damage the leash assembly. If the leash assembly has actuators or controls on its housing, these actuators or controls may also be inadvertently jostled, with unpredictable consequences. Also, the locking-box and its associated pivoting mechanism tend to be bulky, thus the overall combination of locking-box and post is not very convenient to carry in cases where a portable tether is needed.
In another type of device, which avoids some of the aforesaid problems, a post with a pivotably-mounted clip is provided, wherein the handle of a hand-held leash assembly is hooked onto the clip. However, it will be appreciated that such a device cannot hold the leash assembly securely, once again making it subject to the problems described above. Thus, there is a need for an improved process and apparatus for restraining an animal.